Sliders are fabricated for utilization within data storage disk drives for positioning a magnetic head comprising read and write elements relative to one or more spinning disks. Each slider typically comprises read and write elements along with electrical contacts to facilitate electrical connection with an electronic data control system. Sliders are provided with air bearing features that controllably affect the manner by which the slider flies on an air bearing created by a spinning disk. Specifically, the aerodynamic properties of the slider topography influence the fly height, pitch, roll, and other important features. These features range in size from nanometer size to millimeter size. The distance between the slider, which contains the read and write elements and the air bearing features, and a spinning disk, is typically 10 nm or less. Smaller sliders are being designed to fly closer with more and more electronic functionality required.
The fabrication process of a slider comprises multiple steps involving a high level of complexity, tight tolerances, and small size specifications. Typical processes steps include fine line photolithography, reactive ion etching, ion milling, and thin film deposition. A typical slider includes a substrate portion, an insulator layer and a multilayer thin film portion that comprises the operative layers and elements of the slider, such as including read and write transducers, heater elements, laser elements, and other transducer elements. The sliders' transducer elements are fabricated on wafers utilizing known wafer build techniques, which are described briefly below.
Sliders are fabricated from wafers that are created based upon the materials and layers specified for a desired slider construction. From such a wafer, a chunk or portion of the wafer is separated from the rest, and then the wafer portion is sliced into rowbars. In the form of slider rowbars, the common air bearing surface is to be lapped for sizing the slider while increasing surface flatness and decreasing surface roughness, and fine-tuning transducer critical dimensions. The air bearing surface of each slider is lapped to comply with desired surface standards. After lapping, an advanced air bearing surface is patterned on the lapped surface, the surface is coated protective film, and then the rowbars are diced into individual sliders.
The manufacturing of components of disk drive systems includes providing an electrical connection via solder material between sliders and suspension assemblies, either or both of which may include bonding pads. This solder material used for connection of components is often supplied via solder jetting, wherein typical trailing slider surface interconnects are provided in a single plane and arranged in a single row. Such a configuration, in combination with at least some inherent trajectory error and possible solder ball expansion upon impact with a surface to which it is applied, can lead to inadequate separation between the solder interconnect and adjacent interconnects, bonding pads, or traces. This can then lead to bridged or open connections in high connection density applications. These challenges will increase as the number of slider pads provided on a slider is increased to greater than the standard nine and eleven slider pads used in the industry. There is a desire to provide slider configurations that allow for solder connections in high density applications without bridging between adjacent connections.